


Playtime's Over

by TwilightMaster15



Series: Best Friend Projects [2]
Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Beyond and Light alliance, Blood and Injury, Brainwashing, Falling In Love, Impersonation, Kidnapping, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Pet Names, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:13:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22965961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwilightMaster15/pseuds/TwilightMaster15
Summary: After coming across the weirdest name Light had ever expected during his nightly killing spree, curiosity leads Light to do a little research into Beyond Birthday, realizing he has the Shinigami eyes. A person with no qualms killing and also has the eyes and a reason to take out L? Light could have only asked for a better ally if Beyond wasn't a criminal.Begrudgingly pulling some strings to get Beyond out of prison, Beyond Birthday agrees to work with Light under the condition L doesn't die. The two hatch a plan to have Beyond once again pretend to be L after a little incident leaves the real L alive but out of the picture.This plan works marvelously whenever Misa Amane isn't constantly trying to get involved, and Watari is the only one to realize this isn't L, but Beyond threatens him to keep quiet or L dies. Left with no other choice, Watari turns to the most unexpected person for help saving L.Meanwhile, Light finds himself determined that if he can't kill L, to make him join Kira by any means necessary. If L is known for questionable methods, Light can play that game too. But unbeknownst to him, Beyond Birthday has slightly different plans for L, and a different way of getting there.
Relationships: Beyond Birthday & L & Yagami Light
Series: Best Friend Projects [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1639696
Comments: 13
Kudos: 52





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic was T, but has been changed to M, mostly because I'm paranoid and will have a little more freedom to explore darker themes later on.

For Light, it was a typical and dreary day. Never since getting the Death Note did Light expect to _ever_ say or think those words. And yet, here he was, having fallen into routine once again, and nothing new had happened. No new attacks from L, or any challenges whatsoever, and Light found himself essentially uncontested.

Light had been working on his daily killings when he came across the most unusual name in the history of names.

Beyond Birthday.

"Huh?" Light's brow furrowed as he saw the face. A rather attractive individual, with messy dark brown hair, brown eyes and pale skin, what was most interesting though was the burns spreading down the left side of his body, and not quite reaching his face.

"Hey, Ryuk, come look at this." The Shinigami came over, and his eyes widened, blinking a few times. Light raised an eyebrow at Ryuk's confused expression, "What's so different?"

"Well, normally, Shinigami can't tell humans the lifespans of others, but I can't see his lifespan at all." This brought a slow smirk to Light's face, deciding to do some research on this Beyond Birthday individual, which wasn't hard thanks to hacking, which was alarmingly easy to do.

As it turned out, this was one of... L's former cases. Beyond Birthday, according to reports, had a psychological issue, claiming he could see people's names and lifespans. Crimes included identity theft and serial murder.

Light smirked. He could kill this individual, _or_ he could use Beyond's undoubted hatred towards L and the Shinigami eyes to his advantage. If he had this person under his thumb, he could defeat L.

But... working with a criminal? Was it worth it? For the eyes?

He shook himself. What other opportunities would he have without giving up half his lifespan? He did wonder, though, why this person had the eyes. But who was he to question it? Worst case, if Beyond Birthday refused to work with him, he'd kill the man. Or perhaps he'd kill him anyway.

A dangerous smirk marred Light's face as he got to work on a plan, researching until he found an illegal hacker who had recently gotten out of prison and had apparently hacked into government buildings. Light pulled out the Death Note, writing into the notebook for this hacker to pull some strings and get Beyond Birthday out of prison.

It took some work over the next few days. Still, Light had no resistance as he managed to secretly, using a library's computer, get in contact with Beyond Birthday, using another hacker to get this man some money to actually get from California to Japan. There were moments he really just wanted to kill the criminal outright for the sake of a better world, but then remembered those eyes and how useful they would be. And a self-destructive serial killer who had been investigated by L personally was going to be helpful. He was still going to keep a piece of the Death Note on him when they met up, just in case things turned sour.

By the time the arrangements had been made, it was mid-February, and still, L had done nothing. Was he not a suspect anymore? He wasn't going to let himself lower his guard by hoping as he walked to the cafe and quickly spotted Beyond, who looked tired. He sat down across from the man, and Beyond smiled wryly,

"I take it you're him?" Light nodded,

"Yes. And you're Beyond Birthday. Is that an alias?" It would work to kill him in the Death Note, but who would name their child that? Beyond chuckled,

"Cut the small talk, why did you call me here? I would think someone like you would kill someone like me." Light's brow furrowed because all he had said in the message was wanting to meet up with him about something concerning L, not specifying anything about Kira. Well, this murderer had to be smart. Light fought back the urge to show disgust at a criminal being intelligent.

"Your eyes. The reports said you can see the names and lifespans of people."

"Correct, Light Yagami. Or should I say, Kira?" Light frowned, and Beyond gestured to his eyes, "I can't see lifespans of those who have Kira's power, or so I would assume since what other explanation would there be for a stranger to know about my ability and see a use for it?"

Light dropped any friendly facade, speaking in a hushed voice. Even if they were in the unnoticed corner of the cafe, he didn't want anyone hearing this, but he wasn't about to tell Beyond Birthday where he lived, "Just so you know, I can kill you right here, and right now if you don't work with me. You're damn lucky, my curiosity led me to spare you."

Beyond laughed, and Light was reminded of Ryuk's laugh, and a shiver went along his spine, not that he would ever admit it or let any sign of being unnerved show.

"Have you done any research on my case at all?" He pulled up his sleeves to reveal the burns. "I did this to myself in a suicide attempt, as the final victim of my own killing spree—to create a mystery L couldn't solve." He scoffed, relaxing in his seat with crossed arms, "So what could you possibly offer me? I could care less if you killed me right now or in an hour."

Light thought about it, honestly startled that a threat of death hadn't turned out like he expected. It was at that moment he realized the general human condition of fearing death at least to a degree did not apply to this criminal. Hence, he messed with his watch, ready to kill him now, but decided to see if there was _anything_ he could use to his benefit.

"If you got caught while trying to kill yourself, how does that work? Wouldn't you just be considered another victim, and that's that?"

"You would think, but an FBI agent called Naomi Misora figured it out."

Light instantly knew what he could use to make Beyond feel grateful to him.

"Naomi Misora, you say? You mean the one I killed a little over a month ago? Her final moments realizing she wasn't smart enough to beat a teen?"

And he _knew_ he had Beyond Birthday's attention, "You killed her?"

"Yes, I did. Making sure to order Naomi to kill herself in such a way that her body would never be found. Maybe she burned herself alive, who can say? And now I plan to defeat L. I have reason to believe you might know his real name."

"I do, what of it?" Beyond looked up from the jelly donut he was eating, then he paused, "You want to _kill_ him?"

"He's in my way."

Beyond giggled, an odd and unnerving sound, "I'll help you, but you are not going to _kill_ him. I want him defeated, but I want him to live with the knowledge." Light's interest peaked,

"And how would one do that?" 

"Did you know I was able to use makeup and my acting skill to successfully pretend to be him? I can look identical, so all I need is an opening, and it shouldn't be too hard to make a little trade."

"Swap places with L?" Was that even doable? Light hadn't met L in person, was it even possible for Beyond to swap with him without the task force suspecting?

"The only one to suspect a thing would be Watari," Beyond replied as though reading Light's mind, "And seeing as Watari knows what I do to my victims, a little threat to Lawlipop's life should be enough to keep him quiet. Or he tries to kill me, but I know I can overpower that old man if it comes down to it." Lawlipop? Probably a nickname, but that did provide the slightest of clues to L's real name.

"How would you even do that? I haven't met L in person, so I can't tell you an ideal time, and I'm not letting you hog all the glory of defeating L."

"So wait until L approaches you..." Beyond nodded, "That's bound to happen soon if he suspects you." He leaned in, "So... it seems to me that I'm the one in charge here, since I know L's name and how to completely annihilate any threat to Kira. But I suppose you plan to kill me as soon as I outlive my usefulness, so I have no plans to tell you everything."

Ryuk laughed, "He's got you there." Light tensed, knowing an alliance with Beyond Birthday was going to be risky because he would have more knowledge of L and those associated with him. Though, how did he know L as personally as he seemed to? Was there a _personal_ reason L had picked the case?

"So, are you helping me?"

"You got me out of prison, even though that's quite unlike you, and killed the bitch who arrested me. I feel like I owe you a _little_ favor. But don't think I won't kill you if needed. Something tells me you're not as powerful against someone carving you up as you would be if the enemy was at a distance." He held out his hand, suddenly friendly when he had been threatening horrific murder mere moments ago, "We're beginning an alliance here, I am _not_ working under you, because I know more about L than you will ever know. Don't worry, I have no plans of using the Kira name, but if you kill L, I kill you. We will defeat him, though. Partners. Deal?"

This was not a deal Light planned to take. He could kill Beyond any time from a distance unexpectedly... and maybe he could work himself back up to the top in this "partnership." But until L was defeated, he supposed it was in his best interests to accept. There was plenty of time to backstab Beyond later, but he knew full well this was going to be risky. Mess up with L, and he would be executed, but mess up with Beyond, and there's a friendly reminder he had set free a serial killer—and was beginning to regret that more and more as the seconds passed.

Light took a deep breath. He didn't _need_ the eyes, but it would certainly make things easier, and maybe he could make Beyond slip up and reveal L's name, then he could kill them both in one fell swoop. Then he reconsidered and knew having Beyond pretend to be L would be beneficial. As skilled a cop as his father was, Light could already tell Beyond was closer to Light's own level—doubtfully there, but close enough that fooling the task force would be child's play.

 _The game's over,_ _L,_ Light thought as he shook Beyond Birthday's hand, _it's been fun, but now I am going to destroy you._


	2. Chapter 2

It didn't take long after this "partnership" to form for Light and Beyond to fall into a system. Since the school year ended in March, Light was able to say he was working on an unfortunately required group project whenever he went over to Beyond's new apartment in a cheap part of town. As much as Light hated it, constant hacking was needed, so Beyond didn't need to get a job, but they could keep the apartment. Because where else were they going to keep L after kidnapping him? 

Usually, Light would be extremely against this, but then he was reminded that kidnapping was _also_ a crime, and yet that was a necessity if they wanted L's position.

He crossed his arms when Beyond smirked at him, "You know, Moonie, you still haven't shown me how you kill."

"What did I tell you about nicknames?" Light warned, hating the fact the serial killer had looked up the kanji to Light's name and ever since had been calling him Moonie. This, alongside the majority of Beyond's sarcastic and unwilling-to-back-down personality, was the reason Light was _still_ in constant debate about killing him. It had been over a month, his parents thought he was out on a walk, and the To-Oh entrance ceremony was tomorrow.

"It'll stop when I'm L." Beyond replied, "But seeing as I'm clearly the top here, what can you do to stop me from calling you what I want without sacrificing the eyes?" He still hadn't shown Beyond the Death Note yet, not trusting him to not abuse that, but while he would typically explain the reason of you're a serial killer, he was more concerned by the second statement.

"I'm sorry, _you're_ the top of the two of us?"

"An aggressive top. I have never once been submissive. One of the few things I can boast about. I have never even been submissive to a traffic signal."

Light's brow furrowed, and he was going to start getting permanent marks at this rate if Beyond kept up this odd behavior. "You really should."

"Never." Beyond put his hands on his hips as Light growled, "So, come on, spill. I can already tell you weren't born with the power because if you were, you wouldn't be so eager to use it now. Trust me, being born with powers is the worst."

Ryuk looked down at Light, "Whatcha gonna do, Light?" 

Light said nothing, turning to leave, only for Beyond to lunge at him, pin him to the ground, and hold a knife to Light's throat. Light tried to get away, or fight back, but he quickly realized Beyond had him pinned so efficiently that he couldn't move anything except his legs, not that it helped. Beyond gave a dangerous laugh, strawberry jam still staining his hands as he ran a scarred finger down Light's cheek.

"You're dead for this!" He roared, but Beyond didn't seem phased in the slightest, his expression going from amused to deadpan and almost bored.

"Ah, but if you kill me, whose gonna swap places with L? Who's going to be your eyes? Yeah yeah, you could come up with another plan, but trust me. Without me, you have no idea what you're doing. It's like a hydra: you kill L, and three of his successors will be there to take his place and destroy you. Do you really want that? I'm asking you a simple question and have been lenient with you not telling me for the last month. However, L is going to approach you tomorrow, making sure to protect himself that way so the police will be led right to you if he dies. I need to know how you kill to determine how I'm going to go about switching places with him. Besides," he giggled, the amusement returning, "It isn't nice to hide things from your _partner_."

That wretched word made Light regret this deal even more. Unfortunately, Beyond Birthday had a point. But he still wanted to postpone this as much as possible.

"Alright, I'll tell you if you tell me how you know so much about L and how he works. Yes, you were one of the people he was investigating, but it's clear you know him on a much more personal level."

Beyond softened. "You haven't figured it out already?"

"I have a couple theories. Were you two friends at some point, and something happened to split you apart?" Beyond Birthday rolled off him, and Light walked to the kitchen to grab a paper towel to wipe the jam off his cheek.

"You're close." Beyond replied, "I am not going to tell you the details, but I was one of L's first successors—which is fucked up. L started his career when he was a child, and Watari made sure even at such a young age that there were people to replace him when he croaked. How old is L now? Twenty-four, I think." Light had to admit that if he had been a child told there were already kids lining up to replace him upon his death, he would be disturbed. And hearing Beyond was one of these people was... unsettling. But L was younger than Light had expected. "Anyway, your turn."

Light sighed. He didn't have the Death Note with him, but he did have a piece. He walked over to Beyond, taking out the paper and touching him with it. Beyond Birthday stared at Ryuk with a bored expression.

"Really? I'm a little underwhelmed." Ryuk laughed,

"You know, this one's tougher than you, Light-o." Light sneered as Beyond started laughing,

"He really is the bottom, isn't he."

"Excuse me?! I am _not_!" Beyond narrowed his eyes, and that smirk was on his face, and Light wanted to write that bastard's name in the notebook to wipe it off his face. He tried to punch him, only to find himself under Beyond's foot in a matter of one second.

Beyond had barely moved, still sitting on the couch.

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you with carpet in your face." Beyond yawned, licking more jam off the edge of the jar, then he released Light, "Go home now, Moonie, you've got a big day tomorrow." He winked, "Goodbye."

"I'll leave when I want to." Light growled, and Beyond rolled his eyes,

"Fine. But if your Mom starts worrying and your Dad alerts the whole city to you being home late, don't blame me." He looked up at Ryuk, "So the Shinigami granted you power using a piece of notebook paper. What? A murder notebook? Of all the weird things..." he shrugged, "Beggars can't be choosers."

Light huffed, "I hate it when you're right."

"Just know that if L's a genius, then I'm an extreme genius. If L's a freak, then I'm an extreme freak." Beyond walked him to the door and shut the door, leaving Light frustrated and downright livid as he walked home. It was getting to a point he wasn't even sure the eyes were worth it, but the last two times he had debated killing Beyond Birthday, the bastard had appeared on his balcony and invited himself in. It was like he _knew_!

OoOoO

Light detested the fact L had appeared for many reasons, but the main one was that Beyond Birthday had been right on the money. 

All things considered, personality-wise, L was not the worst thing ever. And if things had been different, Light suspected they could have been friends. Well, if this plan worked, they might be able to mold L into the role of working alongside Kira.

It took about a week of getting to know L, but Light managed to work them into a routine of taking a back route to the cafe, where nobody would notice them. Today, Beyond Birthday would be here with enough drugs to make sure L didn't resist while being kidnapped.

Yet he was still caught off guard as they walked near an alleyway, and L suddenly yelped, having been pulled inside and was struggling to resist Beyond and the cloth with some knockout drug on it. Light had to admit that L could resist quite well while holding his breath, but it was to no avail as it was clear Beyond Birthday was stronger. Light and L locked eyes once before L's charcoal eyes rolled into the back of his head, and Light noticed his hands had been cuffed.

Beyond smirked, patting L down and finding his phone, the uncuffing him, "Okay, his belt was the only thing able to send alert signals, and thankfully cuffing his hands behind his back fixed that." He traded belts with L, "Alright, help me carry him as though he's drunk or ill and not... well... drugged."

It was alarmingly easy to avoid all the city cameras and drag L to the apartment. Beyond had apparently memorized a route of being unnoticed. 

When they got into the apartment, Beyond looked down at L's unconscious body, then proceeded to strip L down to his boxers, then changed him into sweatpants and a simple grey shirt before putting a straitjacket on him.

"Where did you get one of those?!" Light asked, horrified, and Beyond put a finger to his lips,

"Don't worry about it." He used chains and various bonds on L's legs and ankles to prevent him from trying to run away, they put a blindfold and gag device on L's head, placing the ball-gag in L's mouth. Light found himself almost more disturbed by that device and why Beyond had it than the straitjacket. Then Beyond started dragging L into a closet, which was able to be locked from the outside, so L wouldn't be able to get out even if he did escape his bonds. Then he tossed L's belt to Light,

"Take this. It has a tracker on it, so we can't be here for long. Go to the cafe and stay there until I come. I have L's phone just in case Watari calls." 

"And what will you be doing?"

"Disguising myself. I'll see you in about twenty minutes." He gestured to his dyed black hair which had been messed up, "See now why I did this?" Light nodded, walking quickly to the cafe, feeling slightly weird, sitting alone with a belt. Ryuk ate an apple, laughing,

"Do you think he's actually going to look like L?"

"Seeing everything else he's pulled, I almost wouldn't doubt it."

Sure enough, twenty minutes later, Beyond Birthday arrived and put on the belt buckle. He looked _identical_ to L and even hunched like him, and then sat like him. Light gaped at how well the makeup was done, and Beyond smirked, his voice perfectly monotone just like L's,

"What did I tell you?" The smirk faded, "So, Light-Kun, are we going to visit Mr. Yagami tonight?"

"Yeah, Ryuzaki." Light replied, deciding to practice now, almost surprised how smoothly this was going.

And Beyond's acting fooled even the chief of the NPA, proving just how effective he was at it. Then he and Light walked out of the hospital, and Beyond paused, giving Light two keys, "One is to the apartment, and one is to the closet, I will make sure the NPA is off your back, and you make sure L is taken care of, given food and drink and time to relieve himself." He then got in the car, "Well, see you tomorrow, Light-Kun." 

"Goodnight, Ryuzaki," L said, watching the car drive away, then he looked to Ryuk and laughed. "All according to plan. Now I have the task force under my thumb, and Beyond Birthday can make sure to keep suspicion off me." He crossed his arms, pondering, "But I will need a fall guy to make sure nobody suspects..." he wondered, then shrugged, "I don't need to worry about that now. The task force will follow L, and I am sure they will follow him for months worth of dead ends." He looked up at the sky, "With L at my mercy, and Beyond Birthday as my spy, soon there will be nothing standing in the way of Kira."


	3. Chapter 3

Light unlocked the door to L's closet after getting yet another reminder from Beyond to check on him. The last two times, the detective had been either pretending to be asleep or was still unconscious from the drug, and while Light knew that L was bound to wake up some time, it was a huge pain to get home late and get pestered about a girlfriend. No, _Sayu_ , it wasn't a girlfriend, it was his kidnapped nemesis!

But this time, it seemed L was awake and had been for long enough that he had a basic idea of what was happening. His chin was dripping with saliva since he'd had the ball gag in for two days at this point. Light figured L was extraordinarily thirsty and undoubtedly hungry.

"Hello Lawli," he did this to make it clear to L that he knew his name, and this clearly worked since L stopped all shockingly weak attempts of breaking free from the straitjacket and looked in the direction Light was. L was blindfolded, but Light could sense the terror radiating off him. Well, Light didn't know L's name except for that tiny bit, but he knew enough of it to trigger fear in his eccentric nemesis.

He bent down to L, removing the ball gag, an L started coughing, more saliva falling from his mouth, and then noises of distress as Light shoved a water bottle in his mouth. And Light held it there until L had downed the whole bottle. But almost as soon as he pulled it away, L threw up most of the liquid, and bile was in the mix. Too much too fast, Light figured, grabbing another water bottle to try again.

"Kira," L seethed after a moment, still gagging, and Light understood now why Beyond was so insistent someone check on L every couple hours. "I was right about you."

"Yes, but actually, no." Light replied, grabbing L by the hair, "Now listen up, L, I have your name, I can kill you at any time if you try to escape or disobey me in any way. I will make sure you don't die, but my kindness will only last as long as your obedience does."

"Well, I suggest you get it over with then," L rasped, "I will never submit to you. If you think I'm going to thank you for keeping me alive and become your docile little pet, you should think again. I will spend the rest of my life defying you—"

Light chuckled, "I sincerely hope that is the case because you simply bowing to me would make this whole not killing you thing completely pointless. However, I am confident one day, you willjoin my side and accept Kira's rule. But first, you need food." Careful to avoid the vomit, Light pulled L out of the closet, noticing the detective was too weak to fight back at the moment, which was a relief honestly since he had seen L fight against Beyond and knew that one well-placed kick could kill someone.

But L still had a sense of stubbornness and clamped down _hard_ on Light's finger when it got too close in an attempt to make him eat. Light sucked in a breath, seeing L had gotten deep. How was he going to explain that away?

"Do you want a chance to be fed and cleaned or not?"

"If it means submitting to you, I'll pass." Usually, Light would refuse to give L cake or sugar because of that comment. However, it seemed the damn detective's sugar addiction either had a beneficial side effect or was a masterfully crafted plan. Light had no choice but to give L the foods he enjoyed. See, L's body had such a dependence on sugar that being without it would kill him from hypoglycemia. Light needed L alive, or it would be _his_ ass on the line, and this also meant L wouldn't be deprived of things he enjoyed lest he die. That bastard was probably getting a huge kick out of this, and Light then realized he wasn't fully sure which bastard genius he was referring to. He settled on both.

It took a good couple minutes to shove the spoon with cake on it into L's mouth since he fought and tried to kick, even though his legs were bound almost like a child pretending they were a mermaid. So all he could really do was writhe. Then L started trying to scream for help, and Light had to frantically shove the gag back in, realizing how screwed he was. L was clearly not intimidated whatsoever by the thought of death or was secretly calling his bluff about being willing to kill him at any time.

It took at least a half an hour to get L to swallow any form of sustenance, and give him some water, knowing he would need to check on L after class today as well.

He shoved L back in the closet and called Beyond, "He either has a death wish or is trying to call a bluff." He heard Beyond scoff,

 _"He won't even accept cake?"_ He heard a chuckle on the other side of the phone. Even if he didn't want L submitting and breaking, there was a difference between that and being borderline suicidal. He wanted L to _bend_ , not break. " _Alright. You're on your own for molding him as you see fit, but for the sake of his survival, tell him that if he gives up and doesn't cooperate with basic survival, you will kill Nate River."_ Light instantly figured this was one of the successors that Beyond had mentioned before, and he hung up, opening the closet,

"Come on, L, I didn't think you were the type to give up on life, especially with Nate's life on the line." He saw unadulterated terror cross L's partially covered face. He took the gag off, "Are you going to eat, or am I going to kill him?"

"You wouldn't dare..." L spat, voice still hoarse, "You are a villain, Kira-Kun, more so than I had expected." Light growled because L didn't understand! Though he figured that of course, L thought that right now, being bound in a closet. But he would appreciate in time, what Light was doing for the world.

"I am no such thing!" He snapped, "I've kept you alive, and eliminated the world's criminals. It's all a matter of perspective, I suppose, but I am saving countless lives by killing few." 

L bared his teeth in response, but even without seeing his eyes, Light knew the threat on this Nate River person had been enough to subdue him. Light suspected L didn't believe it was true of Light having seen the face as well, but then realized that Beyond might have seen the face and been able to make the kill.

"You're going to regret this." L whispered, "I know, without any doubt that you are Kira. When I escape, you are going to be executed."

"When you escape?" Light asked, genuinely amused, "If you were an escape artist, you would have gotten out by now, wouldn't you? And you wouldn't get far." He looked at L's leg, where Beyond had told him of an expertly placed break in L's ankle, which would prevent him from getting up and running. It wouldn't hurt severely until L put weight on it and finished the break entirely, but a sadistic part of Light wanted L to try escaping and realize it was to no avail. He already knew L's eyes were going to be damaged from being blindfolded for so long, but it would be worth it. L was going to learn, and with both him and Beyond Birthday's eyes, Kira would be unstoppable.

OoOoO

Everything was normal at task force headquarters. No new leads, but Mr. Yagami was thrilled when Ryuzaki had announced that Light was no longer a suspect. Almost nobody suspected a thing. If anything, the task force liked the detective more when he wasn't continually accusing Light.

But Watari knew the truth. The officers may be too blind by the "good news" to see the difference, but Watari saw plain as day that this wasn't the brilliant boy named L that he had raised. A father's fear filled him, knowing that B had done something to L, and was likely allied with Kira, meaning it was probable that L had been right all along about the younger Yagami.

So he confronted B once the task force was gone, needing to know if his boy was alive.

"Where is L?" He said this with forced calm, and B looked at him blankly, still wearing L's face, using that same posture. Then slowly, the facade faded, and B stood tall, going from L to a monster. He displayed a cruel grin,

"He's alive. And now that you've confronted me, his survival and happiness depend on you." He smirked, but Watari knew that if it meant saving L, he would kill L's failed successor here and now.

"Bring him back, and I won't press charges," Watari tried, but knew it was pointless.

"You seem to forget which of us is in charge. If you say anything about me not being L Lawliet, I will make sure L pays the price. If I even suspect you are working with someone to take me down, I will start giving you L's body parts, but should I start with his fingers or his eyes?"

Just the idea of that gifted young man, his _son_ , screaming and in pain as he was carved up made Watari detest Kira more than he had thought possible. But he was given some amusement in having an edge Light Yagami didn't, knowing what B was able to do to people—to the point Roger would do basically anything to make B shut up and leave him alone.

All Watari could do now, for L's sake, was try to find out where he was, keep B unable to go to L, and ensure Light Yagami was given time to tend to L—and that was a fun thought since if Watari knew anything about L, it was that he would never give in. The combined powers of L and B were probably going to make Kira regret being born.

But it was still agonizing, knowing that one screw up could have L paying the price. He needed to know where L was, and could then save him. But the second B figured that out, he could move L.

"Alright, B," Watari glared, hating every second of this. B winked,

"It's Ryuzaki."


	4. Chapter 4

Light groaned, picking L up and carrying him to the bathroom to be cleaned. At this point in time, he wasn't sure if L was feigning weakness or not, because for the last week he had been compliant enough that he should be decently fed and cleaned and he had chances to relieve himself. And yet he seemed to be borderline catatonic half the time. 

He set L in the bathtub, removing the straitjacket, but handcuffing him to a bar in the shower. Then he unhooked the nozzle and gave it to L because he didn't particularly want to wash the detective. He was content to sit against the wall and make sure L didn't try anything.

L struggled for a moment, the blindfold still on, because the last thing Light wanted was for L to get a feel for his surroundings.

He did know that he needed to be kind to L if he wanted to convince the detective that Kira was right, or maybe give him Stolkholm Syndrome, that was honestly fine. 

It was maybe ten minutes before Light checked and deemed L was cleaned up and pulled him out of the shower and dressed him. L whimpered a bit from the forceful movement, and possibly Light's grip. Light smirked, "I thought you said you were never going to submit."

"Am I bowing to Kira?" L snarked with more venom than expected, "Sometimes the only way to win the war is to lose the battle." But there was more to it, Light could tell,

"You're feigning your weakness and compliance to make me lower my guard." 

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. Whichever one causes more paranoia for you, Kira-Kun." He gave a wry smirk, and Light growled as he finished chaining him up, forcing himself to hide his anger, cupping L's cheek gently,

"You don't need to be like that. Once you've seen the error in believing I'm wrong, you can rule with me."

"What?" L spat, "And you think you're the one in control? I know you're working with B," his anger increased, and Light noticed pain in his tone, "He'll betray you the moment you're even associated with something upsetting to him, this I promise you!" 

Light just chuckled in response, sitting L down on a couch after carrying him there, "I'm going to work, but figured you need to eat and maybe listen to the television." He did a double check that the door was the apartment was locked, and all the windows and blinds were shut. Then he turned on the television and pulled out the Death Note after holding out a donut for L to bite off a piece of.

"In other words, we are being held hostage by Kira. Please understand this is not a hoax and that we are not broadcasting these tapes purely for sensationalism."

"Wait, what?" He looked up, and L adjusted his position a bit, struggling since he was unable to move his arms, and his legs were bound, so he moved kind of like a worm.

"This isn't your doing, Kira-Kun?" Light put the Death Note back in his backpack,

"No... it's not. This is going to be interesting. I should call Beyond."

He saw L's lips turn in a grimace as he dialed the number, before turning back in the direction of the television, unable to see but still intrigued in what was going on.

...

"Held hostage by Kira? What is this?" Matsuda asked as Beyond picked up the phone, seeing it was Light,

"Yes?"

 _"Beyond, take a look at Sakura TV. I think there's a second Kira."_ Ah, so this wasn't Light's doing, 

"I'm looking right now," he said, pretending this was a call from one of the information lines, "Thank you for the intel anyway." He hung up before Light could say anything else, or he betrayed himself by asking how L was doing. Light should be taking care of him at the moment.

He didn't want L to be hurt and especially not killed. He cared about the sugar-addict detective deeply, but L was so blind to the horrible things going on at Wammy's House. He had told Light some of it the other day, and Light agreed the treatment of the children was terrible. L was simply being used by Watari, and he needed to see that.

In truth, the thing he wanted more than anything was to have L back, and for L to be the one to strike Watari down for what he did to them. Ah, that would be so satisfying. 

"It foretells another death to prove that he is Kira, and also contains a message to people all over the world." Beyond groaned, already finding this tiresome. It was intriguing, the idea more notebooks could come to the human world, so more chances to learn about his eyes, but he really wanted to sneak past Quillish and go play knight in shining armor for sweet L.

"Well, it's probably just another fake, right?" Matsuda offered, and Beyond crossed his arms, which was challenging to do while squatting, doubting it but not denying the possibility.

"I am Kira. If this video was aired on April 18, at precisely 5:59 PM, the time now is 5:59:47... 48... 49..." _Watch it be off by a couple seconds,_ Beyond thought with a concealed chuckle. That would honestly be pretty hilarious, "Please change the channel to Taiyo TV. The anchor, Mr. Kazuhiko Hibima, will die of a heart attack at precisely six o'clock." _Wait, what?_

"Change it!" He barked, leaning intently in, seeing a man dead on the screen. His eyes widened, "Change the channel back."

"There shall be another victim. My next target is the NHN TV commentator, Mr. Seiji Kumaizumi. He has continued to condemn me. He is scheduled to appear live..."

"R-Ryuzaki—!" Matsuda was clearly terrified, but there was no need to worry, as he still had plenty of lifespan. They checked channel 24, and Beyond cocked his head curiously.

"I trust by you now believe that I'm Kira." Beyond thought for a moment. What would L do? Or, more importantly, what would the task force think L would do? This wasn't Light, and by Light's tone, he was as intrigued as he was frustrated, so there wouldn't be any harm staying in character.

"Something terrible will happen if we don't stop this broadcast!" He shouted, "Get Sakura TV on the line!" He didn't bother to pay attention to them, examining the screens and listening to what was being said on the broadcast. The thing to distract him was Ukita running off to leave. Now... that might be interesting. He still wasn't positive if Light's notebook could kill people even when they had lifespan remaining. He was reasonably sure Ukita was going to die if this was the case. Regardless he could already tell this Second Kira was in the area, probably watching from a window across the street and using binoculars, which would be safer and also much less work than installing security cameras. 

"Please listen to me carefully." The second Kira's message said, "I don't want to kill the innocent. I hate evil and love justice. I consider the police as allies and not my enemy, and my goal is to create a world without evil. If everyone cooperates, this will be simple. If you do not try to capture me, the innocent will not die. Even if you don't agree with me, refrain from publicizing your views in the media or in public. And you will be spared. Please be patient. I will create a better world for everyone. I will change this tainted world into a new one inhabited by only good, kindhearted people. Imagine it. Together the police of the world and I will create..."

Beyond chuckled, "This is pathetic." Mogi piped up for the first time,

"How so?"

"See, Kira wants to create a peaceful would but in the process wants to eliminate free speech? Anyone's public opinion besides Kira's is considered a sin by him. No... I actually wonder if this is the Kira we know at all."

"A second Kira?!" Matsuda asked, shocked, and Beyond nodded,

"Yes. Of course, this is just what I'm noticing at the moment, as Kira seems much dumber than I had previously anticipated." Oh, he couldn't wait to hear Light's reactions on this, it was going to be priceless.

Beyond continued to watch and when Ukita arrived at the station, his eyes fixed in on the officer, watching as his lifespan went from thirty years left to dead. He blinked a few times, impressed, and getting a rush of exhilaration because, for once, he was just as in the dark as everyone else about when people would die. This was great!

Oh, right, Ukita was dead. But honestly, Beyond just didn't care at all, far past indifferent about death. Wait—did this new Kira have Ukita's name or... oh no... 

That being said, he still didn't want anyone else dying since he didn't actively want to kill these people who had time remaining, so he got up and stopped Aizawa leaving, 

"Mr. Aizawa. Where do you think you're going?" He asked while standing up, shoulders slouched, and hands in his pockets.

Aizawa turned, "Where Ukita is, of course!"

Beyond shook his head, "That wouldn't be good. Please think about this rationally."

"Are you telling me to just sit here and watch TV?!"

"If this is Kira's doing," Beyond stressed, "You'll just meet the same fate if you go there. Might as well take that gun at your hip and fire it into your brain for all the good going down there will do."

"Kira shouldn't be able to kill without a name!" Aizawa snapped in response, "So how could this happen?!"

"Our aliases and fake police IDs are pointless!" Matsuda joined in, "What do we do, L?! You don't think Kira has our names already, do you?" Beyond ran his hands through his hair, thinking of what he should say. Should he act clueless? Would L have even remembered his eyes? 

He decided that since ignoring such an important detail could get him caught, he sneered, "No. I know what this is. Damnit!"

"What?" Matsuda asked, and Beyond sighed,

"A few years ago, I knew someone... a close friend of mine. B had this peculiar psychological issue which allowed him to see someone's name the moment he saw their face, and also some odd numbers he claimed were peoples' lifespans." He bit his lip, "Looking back, I wonder if that was even a psychological issue at all and instead part of Kira's power. But this does tell me this is a second Kira if the different MO and this moronic video didn't tell me that already." 

"Well, can't we bring that guy on the case to help us?" Aizawa asked angrily, "You could have told us about this before!" 

"He burned himself alive two years ago." Beyond frowned, his burns acting up under the makeup as he brought them up, "And I didn't think it was relevant until now. But regardless, all I can say is that Kira is within that television station or is in a place where he can watch who enters the building."

"If Kira is in that area, isn't that more of a reason to go?!"

"He may have only placed surveillance cameras in the area. If we go there unprepared, we'll just be killed." 

"You said that you were risking your life to catch Kira, didn't you?!" Aizawa stormed over to Beyond, grabbing hold of him and squeezing painfully, and Beyond felt fury through his whole body. Aizawa thought he was doing this to L—he would hurt L—and Beyond knew what L had gone through as a child, this would spark PTSD.

He took hold of Aizawa's wrist, spinning expertly and throwing the officer to the ground where he had the wind knocked out of him.

"Risking my life and doing something that'll quickly get me killed are entirely different things," Beyond replied with a tremor in his voice, looking at Aizawa and deciding to see how susceptible to manipulation these people were. "We lost Ukita... if something were to happen to you as well..." he hugged himself, bowing his head, raven locks concealing his face. 

At this point, he could tell the task force was looking between each other, seeing they had struck a nerve with the detective. And as he turned back to them, he saw they were drinking up these lies, not doubting a thing. But no more vulnerability, it was time to get down to business. He put on a stoic mask, turning back towards the TV and growling at the second Kira's words,

"I want the police to tell me whether or not they will help me create a New World. Please make an announcement on the six o'clock news in four days. I have prepared a video for whichever answer you choose."

Then the clip changed to something else, "This just in! A vehicle has just crashed into the Sakura TV studios!"

Beyond frowned deeply, rubbing his eyes and checking again, "Well, that's one way to get into the building without being seen." He tried to think of someone who would have done that. His first thought was the chief, but would Mr. Yagami do that?

"Police cars have ﬁnally arrived in front of Sakura TV studios!"

"We're not alone in this." Matsuda whispered, "There are still police who are willing to stand up against Kira."

"Mr. Aizawa, you know Deputy Director Kitamura's cell phone number, don't you?" Aizawa handed him the phone, a look of what might have been apology on his face, and Beyond chose not to react to that,

_"Aizawa, I told you not to call me on this phone."_

"This is L." How odd it was to say that. Ryuzaki was one thing, but to actually claim to be L was something new, "I want you to do something for me. Watch the news broadcast. You'll see the officers driven to act on their own, to bring Kira to justice. If you don't take control of them as their superior, we'll have a tragedy on our hands." 

_"But we are not supposed to get involved in this case..."_ Beyond huffed, staring at the television as two officers died, knowing those deaths were proving his point. _"I understand, L. Advise me on how I should lead them."_ he paused, and Beyond heard ringing, and turned back to Watari, who was acting as though he was talking to L and not an imposter, 

"It's from Detective Superintendent Yagami."

Beyond chuckled, amused by the fact Light's father really was so much like him but so different, "Call him back and give the phone to me." Watari obeyed, subtly glaring at him, and he heard Mr. Yagami on the other end of the line, and Beyond figured this reckless behavior was why he only had a little over five years left. 

_"Quickly, get me Ryuzaki!"_

"It's me. Mr. Yagami, so that was you in that police van." 

_"Yes... I just couldn't take it anymore... I've confiscated all the tapes. I'll bring them to you."_

Beyond's brows furrowed, biting his lip. Just because he had five years left to live didn't mean he wasn't able to have painful medical complications, "How are you doing?"

_"I'm more than fine. I've never felt more alive in my life."_

"That's adrenaline and could very well lead to another heart attack." But the chief didn't seem to hear him, or he knew this and just didn't care.

"So what should I do? I think going out from the front would be dangerous. But maybe I'll be all right in that van..."

"Wait, just a moment." He turned to the other phone, "Deputy Director Kitamura, Chief Yagami is the one who crashed into the building. Are you prepared?"

 _"As you requested."_ Back to the other phone.

"Mr. Yagami, wait five minutes, then just exit through the front entrance."

_"Just exit through the front entrance?"_

"Did I stutter?" He then paused, wondering if the task force even knew about L's sarcastic side. Whatever, they hadn't known him very long, and warming up to people was a thing. And in the ten days he had been acting as L, nobody had suspected something, and if anything, a somewhat more joking and relaxed attitude was welcome by the task force. Perhaps they were gullible, but if they all were in the Japan equivalent of the FBI, they were by no means stupid. 

He hung up, sighing, "Mr. Aizawa, are you okay?"

"I..." it took him a moment to process the question, "I'm fine." Matsuda looked both parts confused and excited,

"I didn't know you can fight!"

Beyond turned with the ghost of a smile, "When you're the world's greatest detective, you need to be able to defend yourself. What if someone found my location and tried to kidnap me?" He saw Watari cringe as he left, likely reminded that even though L had trained, it hadn't helped him as Beyond overpowered him. Not easily by any means, but he did.

They all turned when the chief came in, holding a paper bag of what was most likely the tapes. 

"Ryuzaki... I'm sorry for acting on my own. It seems I got too emotional..."

"Not at all." Beyond took the bag, looking at the tapes and curious as to what was on them. Just for the hell of it, he might take these to L to get his insight. Though that might be hard since Watari was determined to not let him leave.

The chief laid down on the couch, and Beyond raised an eyebrow seeing the postmark was from Osaka. If this second Kira was as stupid as Beyond believed, it was very likely he had gone down there himself. From what he'd gathered, though, Kira could control peoples' actions before they die. He'd have to ask Light to make the most reasonable announcement to the task force and see if he had to cheese the investigation or not. He then cursed himself for mentioning this was a second Kira when he could have pinned it all on her, but that being said, the MO was just so different it was easy to believe at least one person on the task force would realize it, and it would damage L's reputation. 

"Mr. Aizawa. Could you take this to the lab?" He handed the bag to Aizawa after taking out the duplicate tapes,

"I have a lot of contacts in the lab. I'll be sure to check this out thoroughly." Beyond nodded,

"Please do. I shall check the contents of the duplicate tapes. But for tonight, I suggest we all get some rest." There were nods all around, and Watari went about driving Mr. Yagami back to the hospital after giving Beyond a dark look as though warning him not to try anything.

Did that achieve anything? No. Because Beyond first readjusted the pillows and cleaned off the table since that had been bothering him all day, then he tossed on a jacket, took the tapes, and left, calling Light as he went to tell him he was on his way. 

...

Light looked in the direction of L, before putting him back in the closet. He hadn't expected so much struggle, and while there was anger, there was some form of desperation as Light realized L was not in control of himself at the moment. But since L was bound, he still managed, and then turned to Ryuk,

"So it seems another Shinigami has come to the human world. And another Shinigami's Death Note has fallen into the hands of someone who supports Kira. And this person probably has the Shinigami eyes, making his ability to kill more powerful than even mine if I didn't have Beyond." He crossed his arms, then turned when the door unlocked, and Beyond came in with a bag,

"So, you watched the broadcast?" Light nodded,

"L did too—well, he was still blindfolded, so he didn't witness any deaths. But he seems just as disgusted as me." He looked down at the bag, "What's in there?"

"Tapes. Watch them with me. And get L out, I want his opinion too." Light groaned, opening the closet door and getting L out, and Beyond smirked, "Well, hey, at least this is a decent workout for you. You might actually be able to defend yourself for a whole three seconds."

"Shut up." L looked in Beyond's direction, 

"What do you want, B?"

"I want you to listen to these tapes, and I want your opinion on them." Beyond replied much more gently than Light had expected, "Your insight is valuable."

"I wouldn't think so since I'm your prisoner." Beyond just shrugged, 

"Well, it does matter." He turned on the television with the tapes in, and they all listened and cringed.

"This is so mediocre!" Light growled, and L nodded,

"I have to agree this is quite terrible." L replied, and Beyond laughed,

"Your eyes aren't being burned out of your skull by that atrocious font." He looked to Light, "I assume you're going to be making a video in response to clarify this sloppy disaster isn't you."

Light nodded, "If I leave things the way they are, this could ruin everything! L's already my prisoner, and even though we're mostly sure you're immune, do I want to risk that? And I can't forgive the impostor for dragging down Kira's image with these senseless killings." He tore at his hair, "But would it be too suspicious if I'm saying not to kill L?! And what's worse, if the impostor slips up and is caught, our method of killing could be discovered... That would be bad."

Ryuk laughed, "So what're you gonna do, Light-o?"

Light sighed, "Beyond, talk to my father about making me an official member of the task force. My priority is to cooperate with the investigation and track the fake Kira's moves. This is certainly going to be interesting."

Beyond Birthday nodded, "Right. You should head home, though, since it's late. I'll get L situated." Light yawned, nodding,

"Very well. Have a good night, Beyond." He left, unaware of the smirk on his partner's face as he did so.

...

Beyond Birthday smirked, laughing as Light left. "Well, Sugar Cube, it's just you and me."

"Get away from me." L spat and Beyond softened, looking down at L's ankle. So he hadn't put much weight on that and broken it entirely yet.

"I don't think you're the one making the orders here." He replied, picking L up. L seemed aware enough of his surroundings that he knew where the closet was, and Beyond's heart broke a bit, feeling him trembling no matter how much he wanted to hide it. 

"You bastard, I trusted you, and you're using it against me," L seethed, and Beyond changed how he was holding him to bridal style,

"I didn't. Light's the one keeping you in there, not me. _I'm_ not going to put you in the closet, I promise. I wouldn't use your trust to hurt you." He walked into the bedroom, laying L down and unbinding him, knowing he wouldn't be able to go anywhere as it was.

L writhed on the bed, trying to stretch out, and Beyond found himself amazed at how beautiful L looked in a grey shirt which complimented him so well. He went to remove the blindfold, a lamp being the only illumination in the room to give L time to adjust.

L whimpered, opening his eyes just a crack, and the lamp's glow was still too much for him. Beyond hastily turned it off and watched as L slowly opened his eyes, which looked almost blue with the pale moonlight streaming in.

"Let me go..." L breathed, and Beyond shook his head sadly,

"I can't do that. But I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not going to put you back in there."

"But Kira—"

"I know, but you're safe with me." L was vulnerable, Beyond knew, and if he played the good cop, he might be able to bring L to his side, and then with a little work on Light, they could all be happy in a new world. He needed to make L care about him again, and then he would be more willing to listen about the evils of Wammy's House.

L was still skeptical, and he didn't lean in for comfort or anything. His eyes were still not fully open, and he turned, whether to think or to drift to sleep, Beyond didn't know. But he stayed awake all night, watching L as his breathing finally evened out, and his cries began as the nightmares mercilessly gripped him. He pulled L close, stroking his hair as would calm him down when they were young,

"Everything's going to be okay soon, Sugar Cube, I promise."


	5. Chapter 5

Beyond Birthday was unexpectedly woken up to a 'crack' and more importantly, the sound of L screaming. He jolted upright and found L lying on the floor. For a moment, he didn't realize when he had fallen asleep, then he checked the time and sighed with relief since the task force wouldn't be arriving at headquarters for another hour. He bent down to L's side and noticed the problem instantly in the form of L had put weight on his ankle.

"You bastard!" L shrieked uncharacteristically, clutching his already swelling ankle, "What was this for?!"

Beyond hesitated, not planning on revealing this was part of a plan to make sure he didn't run. He simply let his concern be known.

"I must have fractured it while apprehending you, my apologies. Stay there, I'll get some ice and bandage wrap." He rushed off, getting some supplies, and bent down by L's side, seeing his former love whimpering in agony. Without thinking, he scooped L up into his arms and set him on the bed, beginning to wrap his ankle gently but firmly once he made sure everything was lined up. This was still a severe break, and L wouldn't be able to walk for a while.

"Why are you treating that?" L forced out through gritted teeth, "You're just going to shove me back in the closet."

"I'm not. I was planning to leave you here. Handcuffed to the bedframe, obviously, so you don't try to escape, but I made sure this room was soundproof, so you can scream all you want, and nobody will come. And I regret hurting you, so this is my way to atone."

"If you want to atone, then let me go! Help me take down Kira, and I can get you a pardon for your crimes."

"I'm not doing this for Kira," Beyond replied, "I'm doing this for you."

That caught L off guard, "For me? How could kidnapping me possibly be beneficial?"

"Because what would have happened if you hadn't been kidnapped? He would have killed you, and would dear old Watari have cared? Nope. You would have been replaced by Keehl or River."

"How do you even—"

"I have my ways. But Wammy only cares about you as long as you could be of use to him. I simply want you to see that."

"B, you're wrong." L pleaded, "I understand where you're coming from, and why you would believe that," he winced as a large icepack was placed under his ankle, "But Watari does care about me."

"Then explain why he started looking for replacements of you when we were twelve. We were children, Lawliet, and he will only love you as long as you don't make a mistake. One mistake, and you will be kicked to the curb. You're not the world's greatest detective—just a puppet in that bastard old man's plan." He knew that while L would remain stubborn about it, Beyond also noticed in his beloved's eyes that the seed of doubt had been planted. He didn't want to hurt L like this, but it was necessary, "Gen 1 was designed to fail. I _know_ you learned that after I left. Did Roger care about us? Are any of the children cared for? No. We're just useful for our minds, and once we outlive our usefulness, we will be discarded."

"That's not true." L glared at him as he was given a six-foot handcuff, so he had plenty of moving room on the bed.

"It's just some food for thought. And speaking of food," Beyond went into the kitchen and held out a cake, "A whole cake, just for you." 

"So you kidnap me, break my ankle, try to make me think my guardian is only using me, and then you're nice to me? That's not very consistent." Beyond purred in response, grinning,

"I thought you liked that about me, making sure you weren't bored." L didn't respond, and Beyond sighed, grabbing the blindfold again, only he added a washcloth under it, so it was more comfortable "I'm sorry to do this, but it's necessary." 

"No, don't..." L reached for the blindfold, trying to find where to unclasp it, and Beyond watched this display, smiling softly as L began to whimper. He didn't mind the dark, but total blackness was not something he was okay with.

"Alright. I'll take off the blindfold, but you have to behave so that Light sees you can have it off, okay? I know you don't like the blackness, I just want this to be easier for you."

"Okay. Okay, I'll behave." L muttered quietly, "Just don't..."

"I won't. Do you need to relieve yourself, or are you content with your cake in bed?"

"I'm okay." L muttered, "Thank you for getting me out of that closet."

Beyond Birthday beamed, already seeing that the displays of kindness were making good progress, "Of course, Sugar Cube. Light will be here in a few hours to check on you, and I have a puzzle ball, and Netflix for you to amuse yourself with."

L just tried to get himself comfortable on the bed, still not meeting his gaze, but this was a start. 

He shut the bedroom door, locked it, quickly cleaned himself up and reapplied his makeup, grabbed the tapes, headed to the bakery for some pastries, and arrived at headquarters, where he was met with the face of a concerned and livid Watari.

"Where were you last night?" He seethed, and Beyond rolled his eyes,

"Well, good morning to you too. Are the others here yet?"

"Not yet. You didn't answer my question. Where. Were. You."

"I was checking on L since nobody else knows where he is. And it's a good thing too since it seemed he had accidentally snapped his ankle, and he couldn't get up."

He saw Watari freeze, "Shouldn't Light Yagami be taking care of him?"

Ah, so Watari did suspect that. "Yagami? Oh, you think that because I dropped the charges on him, that he's Kira? No. I work alone on this, and I don't have any suspicion on Traffic Light simply because he didn't have enough in common with what I gather about Kira. So your attempts to keep me away from L made it that much harder for him to get any care. At one point, the poor thing was so weak that he was vomiting up even water given to him, and imagine how much his heart broke when he heard that you've been keeping me away, knowing that I'm his only caretaker." 

It was marvelous, watching Watari come undone, but he sneered, knowing that if he played his cards right, the bastard would forget all about L and would be okay with someone just as competent and intelligent.

"I thought you were..."

"Working for Kira? Nah. I am here of my own accord to get some answers and revenge." He looked to Watari, who was extremely pale. "For A, you know? And for the other Outcasts like me, who you use."

They were interrupted by Matsuda coming in, "Good morning, Ryuzaki!"

Beyond and Watari exchanged a look before Beyond smiled pleasantly, 

"Good morning, Matsuda." He noticed both Yagamis come in, Light looking somewhat exhausted. "Did you sleep well, Light-Kun?"

Light looked up, returning the smile, "I had a hard time falling asleep last night, but a little coffee, and I'll be fine."

"Good. Because I want you to look at these tapes." Light's brow furrowed for a split second before he remembered that he wasn't supposed to have seen the tapes yet, but he made it all expertly look like a yawn. "I want your input. And afterward, could you script a message from Kira to air on tonight's news?"

Light nodded, "Sure."

OoOoO

Light huffed, writing the script and feeling so restrained in his writing, because he wanted to tell the perpetrator to get lost and leave him alone, but that wouldn't benefit the investigation.

"Ryuzaki, is this all right?" He held up the script, which he felt was not his best work, and felt like written lies even though he should be able to portray Kira's thoughts better than anyone. "I think I've portrayed Kira convincingly."

Beyond took the script but had warned him through morse code earlier that Watari was keeping a close eye on them, so he couldn't be openly honest, "I think this is very good, but if we don't remove the part which says, 'You are free to kill L,' I'll die."

Light chuckled, "Well, when pretending to be Kira, I thought that he would demand that 'L' be killed. You can change that to whatever you like." Beyond crossed his arms, walking out the door,

"Watari, may we please have some more coffee." Watari sent him a blank look, and left, giving Beyond a little more time as he went over to Light, still speaking in a hushed voice.

"I'll give you time to write your real message, but I suggest waiting to see if there is a response to this one. It may give us more insight into what this Kira wants, and if they have my eyes, that will make things even more difficult."

"I know. And why is Watari watching?"

"I told him I'm working alone and thus wasn't taking care of L because of him. Speaking of, I expect you to be checking on him on your way home. He's in bed since he broke his ankle. The icepack will need to be changed, and I have told him that he can stay in bed without the blindfold as long as he behaves." He instantly sat up when they heard the door opening, and L handed the script to Aizawa, who came in with Watari to ask for updates, "Mr. Aizawa, the script is ready. I leave it to you."

"All right."

Later that evening, Light was walking home, since his father had insisted he not stay late, especially if he was having trouble sleeping as it was. This gave Light time to check on L, and he found the detective had eaten a cake and seemed to have passed out. He walked over and shook L awake, jolting him out of his restless slumber, and he sucked in a breath at the pain in his ankle.

"Have you enjoyed yourself today?" He asked bitterly, and L looked at him sleepily in the mostly dark room, but he didn't reply, just looking away with a bitter expression. Light glared, "I asked you a question." 

"I know." L replied, "I just don't have an answer." Light huffed, knowing that being kind to L was the right course of action, but he didn't want to. 

"Come on, we're going to watch the news, and I'll get more ice for your ankle. If you try anything, I'll shove you in that closet and leave you there." He scooped L up after unlocking the handcuff, and took him to the bathroom, "Do what you have to do. I'll be back in five minutes."

He put the ice pack in the freezer, grabbed a new one, waited for five minutes before checking on L, and found he had managed to force himself up by leaning on the counter, and he had his broken ankle hovering above the ground with an effort from his hip.

"Need some help?" L sneered, and Light chuckled, deciding to play his part in this. He suspected that L and Beyond Birthday had been more than friends, so he planned to use this to his advantage. And if he had to be the bad guy, that was fine, "You know, I've been talking to Beyond about what you do. You only take cases that interest you?"

"I don't see why that concerns you. If a case interests me, then that means the police would need help. If they do not need assistance, the case is boring. It's as simple as that."

"And what about justice? You told me that you are justice, was that a lie, or are you a fool?" L glared,

"I know what you're trying to do, but it's not going to work. I merely meant it is my job, as this case has fallen to me, to catch you. You are the murderer, not me." 

"You just don't understand." Light fought the urge to force Ryuk to shut up, but he decided he wasn't going to reveal Ryuk's existence until the prime time it would frighten L. "Come on, let's watch the news, give you a little update on what's going on, feed you, and then I'm headed home." He had already told Ryuk he would pay him in apples to check on L every couple hours, and alert him if L was going to try anything.

He helped L onto the couch and handed him a bagged pastry to munch on as he turned on the television.

"And now a shocking development. In response to the video that was sent and aired on Sakura TV a few days ago, another person claiming to be the real Kira has appeared. He has ordered several television stations to air his message. The police department has authorized us to broadcast this video. Is this the real Kira? Is this another Kira? First, please take a look at the video."

L looked up, "I'm guessing this message is by the police, and nowhere near what you actually desire."

"Unfortunately, you're right. I was able to get some of my message across, but we're going to see if the fake Kira responds."

"Why are you telling me this?" L adjusted his position, looking towards the door, which he could make a break towards if it weren't for his ankle, and in his weakened state, he would have no hope of overpowering Light. But he wasn't bound at the moment.

"Because I hope that with clarity, you will no longer be my enemy." He sighed, hearing his false message broadcasted,

_"I am Kira. I am the real Kira. The Kira, who was on Sakura TV a few days ago, is a pretender—a fake. I will show leniency to the impostor because I am assuming he did it out of an attempt to help me. But killing the innocent is against my beliefs. If the impostor truly sympathizes with me and wants to help my cause... I ask that he refrain from killing aimlessly and accept my basic principles. If you ignore this warning and continue to be reckless, I will have no choice but to kill you."_

"So, you see me as a potential ally," L affirmed, "How do you kill?"

"Hm. That's not something I told Beyond for months into our official alliance, why would I tell you when you still have the will to defy me." L deflated a bit, hugging himself as the news went on, and Light frowned, noticing L had stopped responding. "L?" He poked L, "Hey, L, are you alive?"

Ryuk laughed, "What's going on, Light?" 

After about five minutes of L not responding, Light called Beyond, cursing that son of a bitch to hell for not giving him a heads up about L doing this—while this could be something new, he doubted that. Was L asleep?

 _"Hello?"_ He heard Beyond in a whisper, _"You're lucky I'm in the bathroom right now, or I wouldn't be able to call. What is it?"_

"L's doing something. He's just stopped responding. He seems to almost be asleep, but his breathing isn't even."

_"Oh. L's dissociating. Yeah, he does that from time to time, and that's probably how he spent a lot of time since this incident started. Just put him to bed, and he'll snap out of it. Because he doesn't feel safe around you, I suggest you leave. I'll go check on him as soon as I can."_

Light growled, "You could have warned me that he does that." He then realized Beyond had hung up on him. _Prick_.

He scooped L up, getting no response from the detective as he rested him back on the bed and handcuffed him, getting him situated with the icepack while still under the covers. He then wondered why he bothered—it wasn't like L was going to thank him.

Still, he did feel a sense of unease, seeing L so vulnerable at the moment, but he shrugged it away. Why would he care? L was just another pawn to use, right?

He used his own key to lock the bedroom door, and left, still unable to shake the nauseous feeling as he walked home, making absent greetings to his mother and sister. Then he made himself some tea to sleep and walked up to his room, sipping the hot drink tiredly, hoping he could actually get some sleep. Days of tending to L, school, and working on the task force were starting to give him bags under his eyes, and the last thing he wanted was to slip up.

But he could only get in a couple names for his daily quota before passing out the moment he hit his pillow.


	6. Chapter 6

It hadn't been a surprise in the slightest that they were going to get a reply from the Second Kira, and Beyond had fought back a laugh when he heard about it. This person was just so stupid that it was physically painful. He was sure one day he and L could laugh about this together, whether Light was in their lives or not. 

None of it mattered as long as he had L by his side, though he had to admit keeping the young wannabe God around would be fun, but for all intents and purposes, the younger Yagami had served his purpose.

Of course, the plan couldn't work nearly as well with this new Kira in the picture, but he was somewhat eager to see just how stupid this person was and if anything further would be revealed.

_"Kira, thank you for responding. I will follow orders and do as you say."_

...Well, that didn't bode well. But Beyond Birthday calmed his split second of panic, remembering that he was the only one who could successfully pretend to be L, and he had enough evidence on Light to annihilate him. The only option Light would have was to kill him, but then that meant needing to release L.

Only when L was fully on their side was there any risk of Beyond's own life being in danger, not that said existence mattered much to him.

Besides, he already knew Light's thought process at this moment, which was painted all over his face even if nobody else noticed it. Perhaps it was the enhanced vision brought on by his eyes. As of now, Light was debating if this new Kira could be usable at all, and while he was relieved about the whole not trying to kill L anymore thing. There was also annoyance because if this individual knew Kira's wishes, they would have demanded L appear anyway. 

And then the Second Kira said something that made Beyond Birthday positive that his alliance with Light was still secure, _"I want to meet you. I don't think you have the eyes, but I won't try to kill you. Please don't worry."_

This meant little for Beyond, since only himself, Light, and the Shinigami knew that what his eyes were was connected to Kira. Besides, he had already mentioned the eyes to the task force to make sure this didn't bite him in the ass later. But for Light, this would be horrifying, not because the eyes particularly meant anything, but the implications of the Second Kira being willing to share information that should be hidden.

"He just said that he didn't have 'the eyes,' didn't he?" Matsuda looked to Beyond, who bit his thumb,

"I was right..."

_"Please think of a way we can meet without the police knowing. When we meet, we can conﬁrm each other by showing our Shinigami."_

"Shinigami?!" Beyond thought about what L would do, and he knew that L would reply by being panicked at the thought of something so unknown, so he made a small show of shaking just the slightest bit. He supposed that he could tip over this chair and freak out even more, but he didn't want to risk the makeup smearing or his burns being revealed, "Are we supposed to accept the existence of something like that? There's no such thing..."

"That's right, Ryuzaki." Light placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Shinigami don't exist."

It took all of Beyond's self-control to not snort, seeing Ryuk was literally behind Light as he said that.

"Kira had those criminals in prison write something about Shinigami." He pointed out, no longer feigning fear and instead cocking his head a bit

"Then shouldn't we assume that this is the same Kira?" Soichiro pointed out, "It's the same person, so they say the same things." Light turned to his father,

"That can't be, Dad. If this is the same Kira from before, he wouldn't have replied to our video. There is no way that the real Kira would go through the trouble of getting L to appear on TV, only to stop trying to kill him."

"I suppose that Kira could be messing with us," Beyond pulled his knees to his chest, "But the chances of that are extremely low regarding the eyes because we can all be sure those are real, which makes it stand to reason Shinigami could very well exist too. Why would the real Kira reveal information like that? The notes were one thing, but that was a direct taunt, which is different." 

"If the two Kiras were connected," Light pointed out, "I don't think that he would stop trying to kill Ryuzaki, which means that the Second Kira is acting independently of the first."

"They want to meet the real Kira and are working out of interest in Kira." Beyond looked to everyone else, "Though while an alliance may be what the Second Kira wants, I also cannot ignore the possibility that perhaps the Second Kira wants to kill the original and become the only one with this ability. As the saying goes, keep your friends close and your enemies closer."

"I hadn't thought about that," Light mused, and Beyond noticed the computer was on, making it clear Watari was still listening in. He wouldn't even be surprised if the bastard forgot all about L because B proved himself smarter. Ah, that would be the day, and maybe L would actually accept a hug.

It was a mixed bag. But Beyond justified it for himself by pointing out it was best to rip the band-aid off now so he could actually learn to reach peace. 

"Regardless of the Second Kira's motivations," Beyond slumped a bit more, "He wants to meet Kira, and as it stands at the moment, there is no interest in changing the world. If the Second Kira is an ally to the first, then either how Kira is seen by the world is worse than I thought, or this person is stupid beyond comprehension... but no, that can't be it."

Soichiro frowned, "What do you mean, Ryuzaki?"

"The Second Kira managed to get this far, so it stands to reason there is at least some semblance of a brain in that head. But Kira only killed the FBI agents, which is debatably something done in self-defense. However, this Kira was intentionally targetting officers just for the hell of it. It's a small detail, but I actually wonder if the original Kira will respond and tell this person to get lost. If we don't broadcast this message or do so afterward, then we may be able to play both Kiras directly into our hands." 

Light caught on quickly, "If the original tells this imposter to get lost, then the Second Kira may pressure the first into a meeting by revealing more information. The word 'Shinigami' is a word that has some meaning between Kira and Second Kira, probably directly tied to their killing power and used as a code."

"So, what are we going to do now?" Matsuda asked, "Are you going to respond and force him to be more direct?"

"No," Beyond let a small smirk be seen, "I'm shall leave the rest to Kira and the Second Kira. The pieces are in place, and our investigation will be benefited either way."

"What?" Aizawa asked, and Beyond wondered how much he would have to spell it out to these people. Why did L even bother having them around? 

"We can assume the second Kira is satisfied after receiving a reply from Kira. He thinks that he's got Kira's attention. And he also used a word that only the two of them would understand. This reply will air today on Sakura TV's six o'clock news, and before we know it, we may be able to turn the original against the Second Kira. But..." he giggled.

Light tensed a bit, but this wasn't noticed, "You want to lead them both to their downfall. If Kira makes a reply, we may be able to collect physical evidence. If Kira doesn't say get lost, or even if he does and more information is revealed, he may see killing the Second Kira as the only way to avoid a meeting and make sure there is no run-in with the police. This means that Kira may slip up while searching for the Second Kira. There isn't exactly a way to win unless Kira finds and kills the Second Kira before we do."

"Exactly." Beyond Birthday looked at the package, "In the meantime, let's focus on gathering information from the Second Kira's package."

...

_This isn't good..._ Light thought as he walked to check on L, _I can't leave the Second Kira alone like this. If the Second Kira makes a fatal slip-up and is caught by the police, there is a chance that the police will find out about the Death Note._

_And not only that, Beyond's proving to be more dangerous than I had anticipated. He could turn on me before I even have a chance to write his name down, but now he's pointed out every downside in accepting this stranger's help, even if they do have the eyes. Beyond Birthday is intelligent, and that's the problem._

He needed L to hurry up and accept Kira already. Light groaned as he opened the door to the apartment and unlocked the door to L's bedroom, seeing the detective sitting on the edge of his bed, looking out the window, which was just far enough away that he couldn't knock on it, but he could still look out if he wished.

"I have food," he muttered, and L turned, 

"The Second Kira is proving himself to be a hindrance, Kira-Kun?" He gestured to the television, "At this rate, I'm going to learn how you kill from the Second Kira before I learn it from you."

"Beyond and I already have a plan we are putting in motion to handle the situation. It's nothing for you to worry about." He remembered what Beyond said about a way of turning L to their side, "Watari came by headquarters," he lied, "Either Watari doesn't suspect a thing, or he has taken quite a liking to Beyond's quick thinking."

Even if it wasn't one of the most elegant lies he had told, that wasn't particularly the point. All Light had to do was water the seeds that Beyond Birthday had planted about L's guardian. Even if L suspected it was lies, the doubt would grow and overwhelm him.

L just glared in response, "I'm sure B threatened him to keep quiet, and if you don't know that, you're more of his puppet than he is yours."

Damn, that bastard, playing the same game Light was. This was a new experience in less than a year having met two people at his level, and it was both exhilarating to have so much mental stimulation, and exhausting. 

"How's your ankle?" He tried, and L also looked down at his foot,

"I can put weight on it," L replied softly, "But not for long before it's too painful, and I can't move more than a step."

"I brought some more bandages," Light sat next to L, replacing the ice pack and changing the wrappings, earning a wince from L,

"Too tight, Kira-Kun." Light relaxed it a bit, before sighing and giving L more cake,

"Do you need anything else?" 

He knew exactly what L needed, but would L lower himself to admit it, or humiliate himself further later?

L glared up at him, knowing what he was up to, maintaining eye contact in silent defiance.

"Suit yourself then," Light drawled, "I'll just be heading home and checking on you tomorrow. Beyond might not be able to visit tonight." He went to leave and was starting to lock the door when he heard L's disgusted voice,

"Wait." Light stopped, looking to L expectantly,

"Yes, Lawli? What do you need? Is it water?"

The look L sent him was one of humiliation and fury, and if looks could kill, Light knew he would be dead multiple times over.

"I need the bathroom," L mumbled, and while Light could hear just fine, he still smirked a bit,

"You have to stop with the mumbling. I can't hear you."

"I said I need the bathroom, damnit!" L snarled, shaking, and Light smiled triumphantly. This was a small victory, but it was proof they were making progress.

"Well, why didn't you just say so?" He unlocked the handcuff and scooped L up into his arms, and while L was making this difficult and wasn't holding on, he wasn't trying to escape. 

Light set him down near the toilet, "Do what you have to do, I'll check on you in five minutes." He left and waited outside the door, hearing a 'thud' as L fell onto the ground due to his broken ankle.

This whole process, Light had to admit, made him extremely uncomfortable, feeling no better than the criminals he punished on the daily. But he was doing this for a better world, and L was already in a toxic home life from what Beyond Birthday had described. So, in the long run, this would be helping L, right?

He checked his watch before going in and seeing L was washing his hands, and the wrappings on his ankle were leaving it in such a position that he couldn't place it fully on the ground.

"Come on," Light went to carry him again, but L pushed him back,

"You don't have to carry me." He hopped on his good foot a bit, using the wall as support, and Light watched that happen. Ryuk laughed,

"He's not backing down."

Light shook his head, supporting L's weight instead, putting him back in his room and handcuffing him to the bed frame, and he went to grab the blindfold to see what would happen.

"I don't see a need for that," L tried, but his microexpressions revealed deeply rooted fear, and the fact he was subtly inching away from where Light was with the blindfold just proved this, "I already know my surroundings around here since you didn't blindfold me down the hall to the bathroom." Light cursed himself for the oversight, but then shrugged as he remembered that there was still enough hallway that L wouldn't have seen anything,

"I was attempting to be kind, but if you're going to use that over me, then it's clearly best that I put this on you 24/7. I know you didn't see anything worthwhile." He forced the blindfold over L's eyes, and while L wasn't begging or pleading, he also was clearly unhappy, and Light left, too tired and furious with the Second Kira to put up with the stubborn detective who was making him question what he was doing.

OoOoO

"Why aren't you with L?" Beyond looked up and saw Watari was standing there, "You've left him alone, he may need help."

Beyond shrugged, "I gave him a cake and some water, but why would you care? You were content to keep me away before."

"That's before I knew you were working alone." Watari answered with narrowed eyes, "You knew and were letting him suffer to get back at me."

Beyond stood up, grinning like a cat about to catch its prey, "How do you know I wasn't lying about that?" He purred, "You have no way of knowing, so what to do now."

"Kira wouldn't care about your motivations," Watari seethed, "This is your operation, not anyone else's. You're the one who killed people to surpass L, but you're just a failed replacement." Beyond cried out in rage, pinning Watari against the wall with almost enough force to break his shoulder,

"I am _nobody's_ replacement." He removed his hand and groaned, turning on the television to distract himself, but he noticed something on TV that made him smirk. Looked like his eyes were even more useful than anticipated...

Because he had just found the Second Kira.


End file.
